Heidelberg wins OAC Tournament title

The Ohio Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship trophy has never made its way to Tiffin in five attempts, but 2008 proved to be the year to leave a mark in the record book. In its sixth attempt, the Heidelberg College Student Princes, seeded No. 2 in the tournament, traveled to the OAC regular season champion Capital University Capital Center Saturday night and upset the No. 1 seed and nationally ranked Crusaders to claim the title with an 83-75 victory.

Not only does the win mark an OAC title, but it gives Heidelberg an automatic bid to the 59-team NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship. The teams and the bracket for the NCAA Tournament will be announced in a live Internet video broadcast at noon Monday at www.ncaa.com, with the tournament beginning on Thursday, March 6. Heidelberg will make its third appearance in the NCAA Tournament, having previously advanced in 1984 and 1995.

The Berg, under the guidance of sixth-year head coach Duane Sheldon and assistants Zach Robertson, Ron Higgins and Larry Kisabeth, picked up its 23rd win on the season following tonight’s title. For the year, Heidelberg stands at 23-5. Capital falls to 23-5.
 
Sheldon credited the strong senior leadership for the team's success in the regular season and beyond. Seniors Andrew Lemmon (Port Clinton, Ohio / Port Clinton), Brian Schmidt (Hinckley, Ohio / Brunswick), Shawn Shriver (Bellevue, Ohio / Western Reserve), Greg Tyson Jr. (Lima, Ohio / Lima Senior) and Matt Eberle (Grove City, Ohio / Central Crossing) have poured their hearts out on the court for the last four years and it has paid off. “Our seniors saw the court as freshman and faced a lot of trials and tribulations,” said Sheldon. “They continued to work hard and they deserve the championship. There have been teams in the past that deserved to win, but fell just short. We did this this year for everyone who has been affiliated with the program. We are proud of everyone that has donned the colors of Heidelberg and this championship helps to recognize the dedication that has been put in over the years.”
 
Lemmon combined to score 39 points and grab 17 rebounds in two games in the final four, including 19 points and six rebounds Saturday night, earning him Tournament Most Valuable Player honors. Joining Lemmon on the all-tournament team was Schmidt, finishing the final four with 22 points and 19 rebounds.

Capital held two early nine-point advantages following a slow start for the Berg. Back-to-back three-pointers from Lemmon pulled Heidelberg within three points, 14-11, with 12:54 on the clock. But Heidelberg cooled off again, allowing Capital to go ahead by six points. Two Chad Szalay (Lorain, Ohio / Clearview) free throws cut Heidelberg’s deficit to four, 19-15, with 9:18 left in the opening half. Heidelberg was held scoreless over the next four minutes and eventually faced a double-digit deficit at 29-19 with 3:26 on the clock. Capital extended its lead to as many as 12 points, but Heidelberg outscored the Crusaders 6-2 over the final 2:42 to trail 33-25 at the half.

In the second half, Heidelberg erased two Capital 13-point advantages to eventually take its first lead of the ballgame, 51-50, on a Shriver free throw with 10:13 left in the game. Over the course of the next four minutes the game featured four lead changes and two ties. Heidelberg took the lead on a Tyson trey from the right wing with 6:26 on the clock and never looked back. Capital knotted the game at 67-67 with 2:50 left, but Heidelberg answered with a Lemmon three-pointer to regain the lead. In the final 1:19, Heidelberg hit 10 straight from the free throw line to seal the win.

Joining Lemmon in double figures was Szalay with 19 points of his own, while Shriver dropped in 15 and Tyson added 10.

The Crusaders were led by Ryan Wood and Steve Kyser with 24 points apiece. Kyser and Nate Stahl each added eight rebounds.

Heidelberg shot just 23 percent (8-of-25) from the field in the first half, but bounced back to shoot 50 percent (15-of-30) in the second half. Heidelberg’s defense stepped it up in the second half, holding Capital to a 41percent  clip (11-of-27) after it shot 48 percent (15-of-31) in the opening half. For the game, Capital held a 45-35 advantage on the glass, but the Berg picked up 27 points from the charity stripe compared to 19 by Capital. The Berg defense forced the Crusaders into 16 turnovers.